About the Book

Name of book: 21 Days of Christmas: A Fiction Lover’s Devotional
Author: Kathy Ide
Genre: Christian Fiction Devotional
Release Date: September 1, 2015

Christmas is more than just a holiday. It is a time to recapture the joy and wonder of God’s greatest gift: His Son, Jesus. 21 Days of Christmas will warm your heart with stories about giving, loving, and family. These engaging tales celebrate the hope and joy that make this blessed season unique. At the end of each story you’ll find an insightful message that will help you discover anew the true meaning of this special time of year. So grab a cup of hot apple cider with a cinnamon stick, curl up in your favorite chair beside a picture window overlooking a serene spot, and savor the true meaning of Christmas through these inspirational and encouraging stories.

Click HERE to purchase your copy.

My Review

What could be better than combining the beautiful Gospel story of Jesus Christ with heartwarming, unique, and festive stories from an abundance of gifted authors? Christmas is my absolute favorite time of the year, and this book gave me the urge to sing Christmas carols, watch It's A Wonderful Life, and drink some hot chocolate :) But much more than that, I was reminded of the origin of our hope and joy at Christmas. Not the presents, not Santa Claus, or even the fun traditions- but rather the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ who came to save us from our sin. When you're reminded of that, no matter what your situation looks like at Christmas- perhaps you are lonely, have to work, or are going through difficult circumstances, you can have true hope and joy! The stories were short but full of heart and unique to each author. I was reminded to slow down and remember not to get all tangled up in the parties, duties, and baking of the season. I was reminded that the Lord can truly fill our voids that so many feel at the Christmas Season, and that sometimes that includes me reaching out to a complete stranger! I was reminded the God works in His own time and way for His glory and our good, and that He is ever present, even in our darkest days. This devotional is the fiction lover's dream because not only do you get a well written story, you get a thought provoking story that includes practical application from Scripture to use in your daily life to come to know and grow in the Lord. Easy to read and oh so enjoyable- 21 Days of Christmas would be the perfect gift for you or your fiction loving friends! Don't miss out on enjoying this unique approach to telling the true Hope of the Season- our Savior Jesus Christ!

I received a complimentary copy of this book, and all opinions given are my own.

More About Kathy Ide

Kathy is the editor/compiler of the Fiction Lover’s Devotional series (www.FictionDevo.com) and author of “Proofreading Secrets of Best-Selling Authors” (http://secretsofbestsellingauthors.com). She has also written numerous articles, short stories, devotionals, play scripts, and Sunday school curriculum. She has ghostwritten ten nonfiction books and a five-book novel series. She is also a full-time freelance editor, working with aspiring, new, and experienced authors as well as publishers. Kathy speaks at writers’ conferences across the country. She is the founder and coordinator of The Christian PEN: Proofreaders and Editors Network (www.TheChristianPEN.com) and the Christian Editor Connection (www.ChristianEditor.com). For more about Kathy, visit www.KathyIde.com.

Guest Post from Kathy Ide

Looking for a great Christmas gift for friends and family who love fiction … or devotionals? You can give them both in one book! 21 Days of Christmas: Stories that Celebrate God’s Greatest Gift is book two in the Fiction Lover’s Devotional series. It’s a collection of 21 fiction stories, each written by a different author—including well-known novelists such as Lena Nelson Dooley, Joanne Bischof, Jan Cline, and Lynn Kinnaman. Some stories are about the first Christmas, when Mary and Joseph brought God’s Son into the world. Others are about how we celebrate that history-changing event today. Each story is followed by a brief Life Application written by the author of that story. The first chapter starts out with an amusing tale of a modern-day couple in the front seat of a car, on Christmas Eve, traveling to see relatives for the holiday. They’re griping about the hassles of the season, and hollering at the the kids, who are playing with the foil on Mom’s Jell-O salad in the backseat. Then we break from that to a scene of Mary and Joseph entering Bethlehem, about to bring God’s Son into the world. It contrasts the modern-day wife, not wanting to go into a sleazy diner because it’s the only place open on Christmas Eve, with Mary hesitating to go into a smelly barnyard to give birth. When the modern-day couple decide to tell their children the Christmas story—complete with snow and a little drummer boy—the contrasts become both highly funny and very poignant. I wrote one of the chapters in the book. It’s about the first Christmas, from the perspective of Joseph. What he must have thought and felt when Mary was giving birth to Jesus, knowing that he had been personally given the divine responsibility to teach God’s Son about God. Based on the Old Testament teachings he’d been raised with, what did Joseph think Jesus would be like when He was born, and how did reality clash with those expectations? This book makes a great gift for family and friends, with its beautiful debossed hardback cover, full-color interior, and a ribbon page marker. With stories about the Nativity as well as tales of modern-day people celebrating that event, almost anyone would enjoy receiving a copy and reading it—even those who don’t believe in Christ as their Savior. It’s small enough to be a stocking stuffer (or tucked into the pocket of a Christmas-themed pot holder!) and inexpensive enough to be a practical gift for those people you’re not sure will reciprocate, or who may feel uncomfortable if they didn’t get you anything. This devotional would also be ideal to incorporate into an individual’s or a family’s advent celebration, reading one chapter a day during the three weeks leading up to Christmas. Each chapter takes only about ten minutes to read, which makes it ideal for the hectic holiday season. And since each chapter stands alone, it doesn’t matter whether you read one or two stories, half the book, or the whole thing. Other books in the Fiction Lover’s Devotional series are: 21 Days of Grace: Stories that Celebrate God’s Unconditional Love 21 Days of Love: Stories that Celebrate Treasured Relationships 21 Days of Joy: Stories that Celebrate Motherhood